"So you're saying… you just went ahead and killed Obadiah?"
Qin Xiao finally understood what had happened after listening to Frank's account.
"That's right. Leaving him alive would've just caused more trouble. I figured it was simpler to end it right there."
Frank spoke casually, showing no trace of guilt—killing meant nothing to him.
"Then what happened afterward? You said you got screwed over—what did you mean by that?"
At that, Frank's face darkened with anger.
"The thing is, I later found out there were more people involved than I thought.
The soldiers in the convoy weren't the only ones—there were others lurking in the shadows, waiting to profit from the chaos.
Killing was the easy part. What came after was the real mess.
With that many casualties, of course there'd be an investigation.
And there's no way I could stick around for that. So after saying a few words to Tony, I disappeared.
Without Obadiah, and after what happened, I figured Tony would be surrounded by tighter security.
He should've been safe enough for a while.
But that same night, Tony called me—
I was wanted.
Getting wanted wasn't unexpected. I killed people; it would've been strange if I wasn't wanted.
But what was strange—was who issued the warrant.
It wasn't the same branch of the military that had sent the convoy.
Qin—do you have any idea how many factions there are inside the U.S. military?"
Frank's question hung in the air. He already knew the answer himself—he'd seen that chaos firsthand during his years of service.
And from the captured officers, he'd learned even more.
He wasn't really asking for information; he was warning Qin Xiao about how deep this went.
Qin Xiao's expression hardened.
In the Marvel world, the military wasn't a single unified force—it was a nest of rival powers.
"Stark Industries represents the modern weapons faction," Qin Xiao began slowly. "That's the broadest and most influential one.
Then there's the Super Soldier Program faction—led by General Ross.
And the Mutant Research Division, under Stryker.
Aside from those, there are countless smaller groups and private networks.
The level of chaos in their structure is beyond what most people can imagine."
Frank let out a breath of relief at hearing how fluently Qin Xiao listed the names.
"Exactly. Too many separate camps, each doing their own thing.
I was worried you didn't know how deep this went—but I see I didn't need to."
He gritted his teeth.
"This time, because of my Devil Fruit ability, they've mistaken me for a mutant!
Stryker's people finally have the excuse they've been waiting for to move openly against mutants.
And now, with me as their justification, they've launched full-scale operations.
The ones officially hunting me down aren't after me—they're using my case to target the entire mutant population.
Over the past couple of days, there haven't been that many soldiers chasing me directly.
But the anti-mutant raids? Those have gone completely out of control.
It's turned into a full-blown conflict between humans and mutants.
Of course, the mutants aren't just sitting around taking it—they're fighting back.
They're trying to find and capture me, thinking that if they hand me over, maybe the army will call off their attacks.
Hah. Naïve fools.
Now the army's moving.
The mutants are moving.
But the people who backed Obadiah?
They've gone silent.
So yeah—tell me that's not a setup."
Qin Xiao frowned deeply.
He hadn't expected Obadiah's death to set off this level of fallout.
Originally, when Tony killed Obadiah in the original timeline, S.H.I.E.L.D. had quietly cleaned up the mess.
But this time, things had spiraled completely out of control.
Frank was now a wanted man—
and the faction leading the manhunt was none other than Stryker's anti-mutant unit.
At the same time, the mutants who still believed in coexistence with humans—likely led by Professor Charles Xavier—were also moving.
And that meant… a confrontation was inevitable.
"So soon, huh?" Qin Xiao muttered. "Looks like we'll be crossing paths with the mutants sooner than expected.
Maybe this will be a good test—for both sides."
He looked at Frank through the communicator.
"Fine. Let them come. It's time to make the name of the Devil Fruit users known to the world.
If they want to fight, don't hold back.
As for your contract—consider it fulfilled.
Your mission's officially over.
Go chase your own goals now.
And if you need to, use Tony's network to your advantage. You've earned that much."
He ended the briefing decisively.
Frank was free again.
Frank's expression turned serious, and he nodded firmly.
"Got it. Next time you need something done—just call me."
Despite being a wanted man, there was no fear in his voice.
If anything, there was gratitude.
Because he knew exactly how much he'd gained from this partnership.
He'd been hunted before—it was nothing new.
Only this time, the scale was much bigger.
But with the Swamp-Swamp Fruit, his strength had skyrocketed beyond imagination.
And the cache of military-grade weapons he'd seized during Tony's rescue
meant his firepower was now formidable.
His next move was clear.
He would find the people responsible for murdering his wife and daughter—
and make them pay.
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